WETA BUG INTERVIEW: 12 July 07 This week, Weta Bug interviews Superman Returns' special Effects Supervisor, Neil Corbould on the making of the film.

Last month, I had a chat with Superman Returns VFX Supervisor Mark Stetson, who told me about the making of the film and the visual effects that were involved. This month, for all you Special Effects lovers out there, I had a chat to the very person who oversaw the SFX, and asked the question I've been dying to know the answer to: how did the team get Brandon Routh to fly? He's just an actor after all... right?

Briefly, what were you responsible for as the Special Effects Supervisor on Superman Returns?

"I was in charge of all the practical and physical effects,(in camera effects)."

The Superman story has such a history; what were some of the considerations you and your team took on board during the planning stages of this project?

"Having worked on the first three Superman movies, I had a great working knowledge of the problems that could come up, i.e. how we could make Superman fly, how we were going achieve some of his super powers, the cape and how it reacted when he was flying. I knew the old technology that was used and I had a good knowledge of what was available now and how we could marry the two together."

Could you name a particular sequence that you were involved in, that you are particularly proud of and why?

"I think the scene I am most proud of is the 777 crash sequence. We built a gimbal that was 60ft long, 30ft wide and 20ft high. On top of this was mounted the fuselage of the 777 aeroplane. Inside the plane we rigged flying track in the ceiling for the zero g team. We rigged the lockers to drop either altogether or one at a time. We rigged rows of seats on track so that they could slam forward, to name but a few, it was a complex rig. And it could certainly shake."

Above: The flying rig during the making of Superman Returns.

I?m really interested how you managed to get Superman to fly. I read that you used a ?quadra rig? to ?fly? actor Brandon Routh. Could you tell me more about what this technology involved and how you used it?

"We did build a quadrant flying rig that was base on using a body pan to support Brandon. We did not use this that much as we run out of prep time but it could have been great flying rig."

What additional techniques did you use for the flying sequences?

"Zero G we brought in to do the wire flying rigs. They took the wire flying technology to a new level with Superman. Some very complicated but effective wire rigs."

What sort of technical issues did you face in the ?boat sinking? scenes?

"The main issue was safety. We had to design a rig and a set that was safe especially as there was a child involved. The gimbal rig that we designed was based on a forklift column mounted on a seesaw type construction. This allowed us to have the water at different angles so as to look like the boat is sinking either bow or stem first.

"Once the rig was at right angles to the water we could use the forklift type mechanism to raise and lower the set into the tank. All sides of the set could be detached to allow access in and out of the set. We also rigged air and water jets all over the rig."

A flying scene from Superman Returns, as shown from the Weta Collectibles' trailer.

What references to of the old series / films did you use in this project?

"As I said before, having worked on the first three Superman movies I put in enough of what I thought was still good in today?s standards. One example was when Clark throws a ball for his dog to fetch. For this we used a technique that was used on Superman the movie when Clark kicks the American football for miles. This was done using an air cannon buried in the ground and set to one side of Clark.

"As he kicks we fired the ball and with a clever piece of editing the result were great. Well we did a similar thing for our movie, as Clark throws the baseball we fired an air cannon just off of screen with our baseball in and again with a clever piece of CG work and editing again it is a great shot."

What was it like working with Bryan Singer?

"For me Bryan was great to work with. He knew what he wanted and he has great passion for the subject. He is also a great lover of practical effects and would like to see test that we prepared. On one occasion when we were testing Superman lowering the car down, Bryan came along and had a go himself!

Working in a team of Special Effect specialists must be exciting. How did you get to be where you are today?

"It was a fantastic experience working with Mark Stetson again and the rest of his very talented team. We all got to where we are today by hard work and determination and by working with teams such as this one."

What advice would you give to people wanting to work in your industry?

"Dedication and hard work is what I would look for in someone and an eye for something new. I am always looking at new technology, trying to keep one step ahead. I always keep an open mind and don?t get to set in my ways. I have a great team around me who come up with a lot of great ideas."

If you enjoyed this interview, you might want to check out my chat with Superman Returns VFX Supervisor, Mark Stenson here.